It looks like the state of Georgia doesn’t need universal funding for telephone service anymore. The Georgia House Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications passed HB 855, the Telecommunications Fair Competition and Consumer Protection Act. The Act would reduce the amount of universal service funding received to the equivalent of 110% of the average state-wide weighted rate of a residential line provided by rate of return carrier.

The bill also caps payments received from the fund for the next three years. In 2012, distributions would be capped at $9 million; in 2013 at $6 million; and in 2014 at $3 million. There would be no more distributions after 2014.

Sylvia Russell, president of AT&T Georgia, lays out the case for AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile. In a column posted in The Atlanta Voice, Ms. Russell emphasizes the impact the transaction may have on small town and rural residents in the Peach State.

Georgia in particular can do with as much economic development as possible. Our unemployment rate is 10.2%, according to latest figures from the Georgia Department of Labor. The city of Atlanta itself is suffering from an unemployment rate exceeding 11%. Both rural and urban area are hurting here.

The ability for Georgia’s farmers to compete on a real time basis is imperative, as it faces global competition from other producers. A reliable source for the receipt and delivery of accurate price information is a must.

Atlanta is an entrepreneurial city. More African Americans start businesses here than in in any other city in the U.S. Starting up on your own is the only option for more and more individuals. To be successful, business costs have to be kept low, and technology, especially broadband is one way to accomplish that.

Atlanta is a transportation hub, and Georgia is a large state. Dropped calls or the inability to move large amounts of data without interruption cannot be an additional cost that entrepreneurs and the agricultural industry should have to face.